SLBC: Missing workers likely in prohibited zone, one month on, rescue ops on hold

HYDERABAD: A high-level review of the rescue operations inside the SLBC tunnel, a portion of which collapsed a month ago, on February 22, is to be held on Monday and is to be chaired by Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy.

At the tunnel site in Domalapenta in Nagarkurnool district, the search continued for the missing seven workers. Only one body of the total eight missing workers has been found so far. It is learnt that the government is preparing to officially declare the missing seven as dead.

Meanwhile, the government issued orders releasing Rs 5 crore towards costs for the rescue operations so far.

The review on Monday is being planned in one of the committee halls in the Assembly and all the top officials involved in the rescue operations from various agencies have been asked to attend. The officials are expected to make a detailed presentation to the Chief Minister on the collapse, the rescue work so far, and the possible way forward.

Among those expected to attend Monday’s meeting are senior scientists from the Geological Survey of India, the National Geophysical Research Institute, the National Centre for Seismology, Border Roads Organisation, NDRF, SDRF, Singareni Collieries, and the rest of the total 12 plus agencies who have been working inside the tunnel for the past 30 days.

Officials said on Saturday that further progress was made in cleaning up all the debris till the D2 point, from there the prohibited zone of the debris section begins till the point where the roof of the tunnel collapsed. The entire three levels of the tunnel boring machine have been cut till the D2 point and all the other debris has been removed.

Officials were hoping that at least some of the still missing seven persons could be found in the debris up to the D2 point. After managing to clear this section, they now believe that the still to be found workers are either buried in the prohibited zone where the machine and silt almost reach to the tunnel roof, or in a 3-metre long cavern behind the machine’s cutting head, which falls beyond the 50 metre zone.

Until a clearance comes from GSI, NGRI and NCS scientists that it may be safe to dig in the prohibited zone, further rescue operations are likely to be put on hold.

It is learnt that at least a 10-metre section of the tunnel roof collapsed on February 22 leaving a large hole on top of the tunnel, which according to GSI scientists is a cause for concern. It is this fear of a further collapse that the last 50 metres have been declared a no-go zone to keep the rescuers safe.

The cavern was formed when the thousands of tonnes of rock and silt that collapsed pushed the machine back some 50 metres. Only a small gap exists, and to a side, between the tunnel roof and the machine’s cutter head and beyond this is the three metre cavern. The still missing workers are now believed to be buried either in the prohibited zone or under rocks in the cavern.